Extrication Equipment Flashcards
What PPE is specifically designed to protect rescuers at vehicle extrications?
- Retroflective vest
- Goggles / face shield
- Ear plugs
- Extrication gloves
What fire apparatus respond to vehicle rescue emergencies?
- Light rescue vehicles - only handle basic functions
- Medium rescue vehicles - carry a variety of equipment
- Rescue engines - carry equipment for structural firefighting and rescues
- Standard engines - can perform some duties
- Ladder trucks - better equipped for rescue than engine trucks
What 3 types of air supply systems are commonly found on rescue apparatus?
- Cascade
- Breathing air compressors
- Non-breathing air compressors
What 4 things are tools used for?
According to the class notes, they increase:
* Grip
* Strength
* Reach
* Speed
According to the textbook, they are classified by power (i.e. manual, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic) or use:
* Stabilizing
* Spreading
* Cutting
* Lifting
* Pulling
What are the 5 main functions of rescue tools?
- Severing
- Distorting
- Displacing
- Disassembling
- Hazard control
What is severing?
To divide into two or more parts by cutting, piercing, penetrating, splitting, breaking, sawing, etc.
Advantages:
* Gaining access to a patient
* Disentanglement of a patient
* Enlarging an area to facilitate patient removal (creating an extrication pathway)
What is distorting?
To change the shape of an object in a plastic flow manner or other manner without severing. Examples include bending, prying, enlarging, expanding, squeezing and compressing. This is done in order to:
* Enlarge spaces
* Remove obstacles
* Move portions of a vehicle into more advantageous positions
What is displacing?
The moving of an object from its original position to another. Examples include lifting, lowering, pushing, and pulling.
Applications include:
* Removal of debris or a portion of the structure to gain access
* Removal of wreckage from around patient
* Removal of patient from wreckage
What is disassembling?
Taking something apart, such as removing a door from a car by unscrewing it from the hinges.
Applications include:
* Gaining access
* Disentanglement
* Creating an extrication pathway
* Removal of patient from wreckage
Note that of all tool functions, this is the safest but the slowest!
What tools are used for hazard control and safety?
Stabilization tools such as cribbing, lighting to illuminate the scene, barrier tape to secure the control zone, booms and socks to control spills, etc.
What is the most common piece of stabilization equipment?
Cribbing
What is “marrying vehicles”?
Marrying vehicles is using 2 cars to stabilize each other. With one on top of the other, you crib the bottom car to the ground and chain the top car to the bottom.
What are some benefits of hand tools for extrication?
- Easy to put into operation; no complicated set up
- Usually have multiple uses
- Are a valuable back up for power tools in case of failure
What functions do hand tools provide?
- Striking (distorting & displacing)
- Cutting (severing)
- Prying (distorting & displacing)
- Lifting (displacing)
What is mechanical advantage?
Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool or mechanical device. The tool or device trades off input forces against movement to obtain a desired amplification in the output force.
A system’s mechanical advantage is expressed as a ratio using a colon. For example, a 2:1 or 3:1 system (these are pronounced as a “2 to 1” and “3 to 1”). The first number represents the force of the load and the second number is the force that the rescuers are applying to the load. For example, when using a 3:1 system, for every three pounds of load, the rescuers will be holding one pound. This means that the rescuers will only need to pull 100 pounds to raise a 300-pound load.
What is ideal mechanical advantage (IMA) or theoretical mechanical advantage?
The ideal mechanical advantage (IMA), or theoretical mechanical advantage, is the mechanical advantage of a device with the assumption that its components do not flex, there is no friction, and there is no wear. It is calculated using the physical dimensions of the device and defines the maximum performance the device can achieve.
What is actual mechanical advantage (AMA)?
In contrast to ideal mechanical advantage, this accounts for flex of the components, friction, and wear.
Which types of jacks have the most mechanical force: hydraulic or mechanical (i.e. screw or ratchet-lever)?
Hydraulic
What are pneumatic tools?
Tools that use compressed air for power such as air chisels / hammers, wrenches, and saws and lifting bags.
When stacking multiple lifting bags, how should they arranged, inflated, and deflated?
- The largest bag must be on the bottom
- At most, 3 bags can be stacked
- They must be inflated in size order, from largest to smallest (i.e. bottom to top)
- They must be inflated in the inverse order, from top to bottom
What stacking multiple lifting bags, how do you calculate the load capacity?
When performing a stacking operation, we need to remember the maximum lifting capacity is limited by the smaller bag’s lifting capacity. For example, if you have a 25-ton lift bag on the bottom of a stack and a 10-ton bag on top, you will still only have a maximum lifting capacity of 10 tons.
When using multiple lifting bags side by side, how should they be inflated and deflated?
At the same time.
When using multiple lifting bags side by side, how do you calculate the load capacity?
In this case you double your lifting capacity because of the increased surface area and can add the capacity of the bags.
What are hydraulic tools?
Hydraulic tools are high-powered tools that use pressurized fluid to operate hydraulic machinery. The fluid moves through hydraulic tubes and into the tool’s actuator, where the pressure stored in the fluid is transferred to the machine’s moving parts. Then the fluid is channeled back via a pumping mechanism to be re-pressurized. Hydraulic tools are strong, portable, and flexible enough for use in a variety of applications. They can be powered in several ways:
* Compressed air
* Pressurized water
* Deisel or gasoline engines
* Electric motors
* PTO
What electric and battery-powered electric tools are used in extrication?
- Lights
- Fans
- Generators
- Drills
- Several types of saws such as the reciprocating saw
What is the proper way to operate a reciprocating saw at an extrication?
- Select the appropriate blade for the type of metal being cut
- Ensure a new blade is used for every extrication
- Remove the plastic before cutting
- Press the blade plate against the cutting surface
- Let the blade cut; do not force the saw
- Have water ready to combat heat and sparks generated
- Remember NOT to use a reciprocating saw for cutting if someone is impailed with a metal object since they generate a lot of heat and vibrations; a band saw should be used instead.
What is the appropriate type of reciprocating saw blade and cutting speed to use for each type of metal:
* Hard metal / alloy (post 2015 cars)
* Aluminum (i.e. Ford 150)
* Stainless steel (i.e. Porsche Cayman, Tesla Cybertruck)
- Hard metal / alloy: fast / carbide
- Aluminum: medium / carbide
- Stainless steel: slow / diamond git
What are the best reciprocating saw blades to use for rescue?
Diablo
For what operation are hydraulic rams primarily used?
Pushing, such as a dashboard push / lift
What is the recommended max distance of a hose reel for powering rescue tools?
100 feet
What is hose reaction time?
The time from which the tool meets resistance until the hose expands to develop back pressure in order to allow the hydraulic pump to increase pressure. Longer hoses generally mean longer hose reaction times. Note that maximum hydraulic pressure is only achieved when the tool cannot overcome the resistance.
What are the two types of hydraulic fluid?
Phosphate ester, used in Hurst tools, and mineral based, which is EPA friendly.
What are the pros and cons of phosphate ester and mineral based hydraulic fliud?
What is the appropriate way to clean rescue tools?
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions
- Wash with soap and water
- Use a 10% bleech solution to clean off bodily fluids and let air dry
What’s a 2 cycle versus a 4 cycle engine?
Both engines use the combustion cycle to produce energy. Essentially the numbers 2 and 4 refer to the number of piston strokes the engine takes to cover the complete fuel combustion and exhaust process, or power stroke. The main difference between a 2 and 4 cycle engine is that gas and oil are combined in a 2 cycle engine while they’re separated in a 4 cycle.
What are thermal cutting devices?
Tools that use high heat to cut metal. Examples include:
* Oxy-acetylene toches
* Plasma arc cutters
* Cutting flares
What are the safety considerations for thermal cutting devices?
- Do not use in a flammable environment
- Have a charged hoseline in place before using
- Wear full PPE
- Store and use acetylene cylinders upright, away from heat and dampness
What are come alongs?
A manually operating pulling tool that uses a ratchet / pulley system to create mechanical advantage. In extrications, they can also be used for lifting operations such as dashboard lifts.
What is a winch?
A winch is a pulling device that may be portable, but is typically mounted on the front, rear, or side of a vehicle. They consist of a rope, cable, or chain that wind around a horizontal rotating drum that’s turned by a crank, motor, or other power source.
Compared to other pulling devices, they are stronger, faster to deploy, and have a greater reach or pulling distance. They are primarily used for recovery but can also be used for vehicle stabilization.
When using a winch, what is the area referred to as the “danger zone”?
The danger zone is the area surrounding the winch in which the cable can whip around and strike someone if it breaks. Avoiding the danger zone during winch operations is a critical safety consideration.
What should be done to properly maintain winches?
- Cables should be inspected regularly because they develop memory on the coil (i.e. the cable returns to the coiled form it had on the winch after it is stretched out) and vehicle vibrations can fray them over time
- Ensure bolts are tight on the winch mounting so it’s secure
What safety precautions should be taken when operating winches?
- Never exceed the rated load capacity
- Never use a winch to pull a living person
- Never step or stand over a cable that’s under tension
- Never operate the winch when there are less than 5 wraps of cable around the winch drum
- Use mechanical advantage to reduce the load on the cable when pulling objects near the winch’s rated capacity
- Always place the hook so its back is either facing the ground or facing away from the winch operator (because in the event of failure, the hook will move in the direction of the back of the hook)
- Avoid the danger zone
- Drape a blanket or tarp over the cable about 5 to 6 feet from the hook to make the cable more visible to nearby personnel and reduce recoil in the event of a failure
What are some advantages and disadvantage of lifting jacks?
Advantages:
* They can be adjusted to the required height
* Can be fit into tight spaces
Disadvantages:
* Can be time-consuming to set up
* May limit access to the vehicle
* Can shift (so cribbing should always be used)
What are rescue struts?
Struts are adjustable stabilization tools that are used for side resting vehicles. Struts typically consist of a tube attached to a base plate, which spreads the vehicle load. The lower end of the tube houses another tube that telescopes out. A series of holes runs down each side so that a pin can be inserted through the holes to hold it at the desired length. Any space remaining between the top of the tube and the bottom of the vehicle can be taken up with a screw jack in the end of the tube.
What is a tension buttress system?
Tensioned buttress systems are created using one or more struts and a ratcheting device to apply lateral and upward force to a vehicle to stabillize it when it’s flipped over or resting on its side. The goal is to create a stabilizing triangle: the wider the triangle’s base, the stronger the buttress system.
